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An inflation needle, its mold and method of manufacturing same are
provided. The inflation needle (10) includes a hollow cylindrical probe
(12); a hollow conic base (14) disposed at one end of the hollow
cylindrical probe (12); a hollow externally threaded member (16)
projected out of the hollow conic base (14), the hollow externally
threaded member (16) being distal the hollow cylindrical probe (12) and
communicating therewith; and a plurality of handles (18) disposed on an
outer surface of the hollow conic base (14).

1. An inflation needle (10) comprising: a hollow cylindrical probe (12);
a hollow conic base (14) disposed at one end of the hollow cylindrical
probe (12); a hollow externally threaded member (16) projected out of the
hollow conic base (14), the hollow externally threaded member (16) being
distal the hollow cylindrical probe (12) and communicating therewith; and
at least two of handles (18) disposed on an outer surface of the hollow
conic base (14).

2. The inflation needle of claim 1, wherein the hollow cylindrical probe
(12) includes a bore (120) extending coaxially from one end of the hollow
cylindrical probe (12) to the other end thereof.

3. The inflation needle of claim 2, wherein the hollow cylindrical probe
(12) further includes a hole (120A) proximate one end of the probe (12)
and communicating with the bore (120).

4. The inflation needle of claim 1, wherein each of the handles (18) is
shaped as a wing, half circle, or wedge.

5. The inflation needles of claim 1, wherein the thicknesses of the
hollow cylindrical probe (12), the hollow conic base (14), and the hollow
externally threaded member (16) are substantially equal; and an outer
surface of the inflation needle (10) is sufficiently smooth.

7. An inflation needle mold (100) comprising: a male half (101); a female
half (102); at least one cores (103); at least one draw plates (1031); at
least one seats (1021); and at least one internally threaded members
(104); characterized in that the cores (103), the draw plates (1031), the
seats (1021), and the internally threaded members (104) are sandwiched by
the male half (101) and the female half (102); at least one exhaust gaps
(105) each is provided between the internally threaded member (104) and
the core (103); and at least one sprue (108) is provided in front of a
smaller diameter portion of the cores (103) for introducing molten
plastic material into the mold (100).

8. The inflation needle mold of claim 6, wherein the internally threaded
members (104) are replaceable so as to comply with different
specifications of the inflation needle (10).

9. A method of manufacturing an inflation needle comprising the steps of:
(A) joining a male half (101) and a female half (102) together to form a
mold (100); (B) initially heating the mold (100) to a temperature between
50 and 80 degrees Celsius; (C) heating plastic granules to a temperature
between 150 and 200 degrees Celsius until the plastic granules are
molten; (D) introducing the molten material into the mold (100) through a
sprue (108); (E) expelling hot air from the mold (100) through two
exhaust gaps (105) each between an internally threaded member (104) and a
core (103) until the mold (100) is about half vacuum, thereby
facilitating flow of the molten material to completely fill the molten
material in the mold (100), resulting in a half-finished inflation needle
having uniform thickness; (F) cooling the mold (100) to shape the
half-finished inflation needle; (G) removing the half-finished inflation
needle from of the mold (100); and (H) cooling in water for the
half-finished inflation needle at a temperature between 5 and 15 degrees
Celsius for 5 to 15 minutes to produce a finished inflation needle (100)
having a smooth outer surface and uniform thickness.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of initially heating the mold
(100) initially heats the mold (100) to a temperature between 60 and 70
degrees Celsius.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of heating plastic granules
heats the plastic granules to a temperature between 170 and 190 degrees
Celsius.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 15/202,617 entitled "INFLATION NEEDLE DEVICE FOR
HOLLOW OBJECT" filed Jul. 6, 2016 which is incorporated by reference for
all purposes, and is now pending.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to inflation needles same and more
particularly to an inflation needle having handles for ease inserting the
inflation needle into a ball, its mold and method of manufacturing same,
the produced inflation needle having a smooth outer surface and uniform
thickness.

2. Description of Related Art

[0003] A conventional inflation needle is made of metallic material or
plastic. For a metal inflation needle, its manufacturing process is very
complicated. In short, an upper part of the inflation needle and a lower
part thereof are manufactured separated prior to fastening together by
riveting. Thus, its manufacturing cost is very high. Further, the
inflation needle is subject to breakage at the riveted portion after a
period of time of use. This problem may occur in the inflation needle
disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,049,160, 5,915,407 and 6,923,222. For an
inflation needle made by injection molding, a final step of polishing
step is required because its surface is rough due to contraction during
injection. This inevitably increases the manufacturing cost. This problem
may occur in the inflation needle disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,043,356
and 7,730,913. For U.S. Pat. No. 7,730,913, the inflation needle is
subject to breakage at the portion of the base joined the probe during
use. Further, the inflation needle, whether made of metallic material or
plastic, does not provide hand gripping means for user easily holding the
stem thereof when inflating a ball. Thus, the need for improvement still
exists.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] It is therefore one object of the invention to provide an inflation
needle, its mold and method of manufacturing same by injection molding.
The finished inflation needle has a smooth outer surface and uniform
thickness. Further, the finished inflation needle has an improved quality
and is flexible. The invention is without problems including the final
step of polishing a half-finished inflation needle of the conventional
art.

[0005] In a first aspect of the invention there is provided an inflation
needle comprising a hollow cylindrical probe; a hollow conic base
disposed at one end of the hollow cylindrical probe; a hollow internally
threaded member projected out of the hollow conic base, the hollow
internally threaded member being distal the hollow cylindrical probe and
communicating therewith; and at least of handles disposed on an outer
surface of the hollow conic base.

[0006] In a second aspect of the invention there is provided an inflation
needle mold comprising a male half; a female half; at least one cores; at
least one draw plates; at least one seats; and at least one internally
threaded members; characterized in that the cores, the draw plates, the
seats, and the internally threaded members are sandwiched by the male
half and the female half; at least one exhaust gaps each is provided
between the internally threaded member and the core; and at least one
sprue is provided in front of a smaller diameter of the cores mold for
introducing molten plastic material into the mold.

[0007] In a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of
manufacturing an inflation needle comprising the steps of joining a male
half and a female half together to form a mold; initially heating the
mold to a temperature between 50 and 80 degrees Celsius; heating plastic
granules to a temperature between 150 and 200 degrees Celsius until the
plastic granules are molten; introducing the molten material into the
mold through a sprue; expelling hot air from the mold through at least
one exhaust gaps each between an internally threaded member and a core
until the mold is about half vacuum, thereby facilitating flow of the
molten material to completely fill the molten material in the mold,
resulting in a half-finished inflation needle having uniform thickness;
cooling the mold to shape the half-finished inflation needle; removing
the half-finished inflation needle from of the mold; and cooling the
half-finished inflation needle at a temperature between 5 and 15 degrees
Celsius for 5 to 15 minutes into the water to produce a finished
inflation needle having a smooth outer surface and uniform thickness.

[0008] The invention has the following advantages and benefits in
comparison with the conventional art: The produced inflation needle has a
smooth outer surface and uniform thickness.

[0009] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the
invention will become apparent from the following detailed description
taken with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inflation needle according to a
first preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0011] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the inflation needle
shown in FIG. 1;

[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an inflation needle according to a
second preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0013] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of an inflation needle
according to a third preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0014] FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of an inflation needle
according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0015] FIG. 6 is an environmental view of the inflation needle shown in
FIG. 1, showing the inflation needle gripped by the hand;

[0016] FIG. 7 is a longitudinal plan view of the inflation needle shown in
FIG. 1 inserted into a ball;

[0017] FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of an inflation needle mold
according to the invention; and

[0018] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the lower portion of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7, an inflation needle 10 in
accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the invention is shown
and comprises the following components as discussed in detail below.

[0020] A hollow cylindrical probe 12 is formed with an enlarged, hollow
conic base 14. A hollow internally threaded member 16 is projected out of
the base 14. The hollow internally threaded member 16 is distal the
hollow cylindrical probe 12 and communicates therewith. As shown in FIGS.
6 and 7, the probe 12 can be inserted in to a ball (e.g., basketball,
soccer or the like) 200. The hollow internally threaded member 16 can be
coupled to a pump 30 as shown in FIG. 6 or the like. The smaller diameter
hollow internally threaded member 16A as shown in FIG. 5 can be coupled
to a different pump (not shown), for example used for European
specifications.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the inflation needle 10 of the invention
is improved to eliminate problems associated with the conventional
inflation needle. In detail, two opposite wing shaped handles 18 are
provided on a conic outer surface the base 14 in the first preferred
embodiment of the invention (see FIGS. 1 and 2), four equally spaced,
wing shaped handles 18 are provided on the conic outer surface the base
14 in the second preferred embodiment of the invention (see FIG. 3), two
opposite, half circular handles 18A are provided on the conic outer
surface the base 14 in the third preferred embodiment of the invention
(see FIG. 4), and two opposite, wedge shaped handles 18 (not shown) are
further provided on the conic outer surface the base 14 in the fourth
preferred embodiment of the invention, respectively.

[0022] A person may hold the handles 18 or 18A to attach the inflation
needle 10 to the pump 30 in a facilitated manner. This characteristic is
not only nonobvious but also novel. It is noted that the number of the
handles 18 or 18A can be increased to a number more than two depending on
applications. Further, the shape of the handle 18 or 18A can be made
different from the ones shown FIGS. 1 to 5 in other embodiments.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, another improvement of the inflation
needle 10 of the invention is that it is made by injection molding for
eliminating problems associated with conventional metallic inflation
needles. Therefore, the thicknesses of the probe 12, the hollow conic
base 14, and the hollow externally threaded member 16 are substantially
equal. This can eliminate the step of polishing the inflation needle 10
after production because the surface of the inflation needle 10 is
sufficiently smooth. As a result, quality of the inflation needle 10 in
increased and the manufacturing cost thereof is decreased.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 again, the probe 12 includes a bore 120
extending coaxially from one end of the probe 12 to the other end
thereof, and a second hole 120A proximate one end of the probe 12 and
communicating with the bore 120. The hole 120A is provided as a backup
for inflating air into, for example, a ball in the event of a blockage at
the opening of the bore 120.

[0025] The inflation needle 10 is made of plastic such as one selected
from the group consisting of heat durable plastic, nylon fiber,
acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), fiber
reinforced plastic (FRP), and polyoxymethylene (POM). The inflation
needle 10 is plastic in nature irrespective of its material. Thus, in one
aspect the inflation needle 10 can return to its original shape after
being bent. In the other aspect the inflation needle 10 is sufficiently
rigid to be capable of inserting into the bunghole of a ball (see FIGS. 6
and 7).

[0026] In other embodiments, the hollow conic base 14 includes a plurality
of wing shaped handles 18 or a plurality of half circular handles 18A.
The wing shaped handles 18 or the half circular handles 18A are joined
the probe 12 at a neck 13. Further, the wing shaped handles 18 or the
half circular handles 18A have a periphery greater than that of the neck
13 so that a person may hold and use the inflation needle 10 by user's
fingers in a very facilitated way when inflating a ball. This is one of
the characteristics of the invention.

[0027] Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, an inflation needle mold 100 of the
invention is shown and includes a male half 101, a female half 102, two
cores 103, two draw plates 1031, two seats 1021, and two internally
threaded members 104. The cores 103, the draw plates 1031, the seats
1021, and the internally threaded members 104 are sandwiched by the male
half 101 and the female half 102. Two exhaust gaps 105 each is provided
between the internally threaded member 104 and the core 103. A sprue 108
is provided a smaller diameter portion of the cores 103 for introducing
molten plastic material into the mold. The internally threaded members
104 are replaceable so as to comply with the specifications of an
inflation needle of different countries. The hollow externally threaded
member 16 can be made by means of the internally threaded member 104. It
is to be appreciated that In order to simplify the drawing, the cores
103, the draw plates 1031, the seats 1021, and the internally threaded
members 104 as mentioned above each only shows two of them, however, in
actual application, the numbers of each are more than one.

[0028] A method of manufacturing an inflation needle in accordance with
the invention comprises the following steps: [0029] (A) joining the
male half 101 and the female half 102 together to form a complete mold;
[0030] (B) initially heating the mold to a temperature between 50 and 80
degrees Celsius, or preferably a temperature between 60 and 70 degrees
Celsius; [0031] (C) heating plastic granules to a temperature between 150
and 200 degrees Celsius, or preferably a temperature between 170 and 190
degrees Celsius until the granules are molten; [0032] (D) introducing the
molten material into the mold 100 through the sprue 108; [0033] (E)
expelling hot air from the mold 100 through the exhaust gaps 105 each
between the internally threaded member 104 and the core 103 until the
mold is about half vacuum; this having the advantage of facilitating flow
of the molten material to completely fill the molten material in the mold
100, resulting in a half-finished inflation needle having uniform
thickness; [0034] (F) cooling the mold to shape the half-finished
inflation needle; [0035] (G) removing the half-finished inflation needle
from of the mold 100; and [0036] (H) cooling in water for the
half-finished inflation needle at a temperature between 5 and 15 degrees
Celsius for 5 to 15 minutes to produce a finished inflation needle 100
having a smooth outer surface and uniform thickness.

[0037] While the invention has been described in terms of preferred
embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention
can be practiced with modifications within the spirit and scope of the
appended claims.